City of the Dead, Paladin’s Transformation Ceremony. (5600)

The scattered undead encountered along the way were all swiftly dealt with, resolved in a short amount of time.

Following behind them, the group could be said to have a smooth journey.

Very quickly, they arrived at the center of the ancient battlefield, which was the area of that passageway.

Ahead, there was an entrance covered by snow.

Dense footprints appeared around the entrance.

It seemed that quite a few Survivors had come to investigate.

However… there were only footprints going in, none coming out.

The fate of these people was self-evident.

Assam and Braum had already walked over to clear the passageway.

A spacious passage was revealed, with a height of about five or six meters.

Cao Xing thought to himself: "Fortunately, this passage is big enough; otherwise, not only would Dabai not be able to enter, but that newcomer in my territory, Jode Ironfrost, wouldn't be able to enter either."

Taking a look inside the passage, it emitted a faint, pale green light.

Clearly, there were many undead inside the passage as well.

So, Cao Xing said: "Assam, Braum, you two go in first."

"Understood!"

As soon as he spoke, the two of them rushed directly into the passage.

Not long after, angry roars of the undead and the sounds of fighting came from within.

Cao Xing and the others quickly entered as well.

At a glance, they saw a large number of undead inside the passage, frantically attacking Braum and Assam.

Seeing this scene, Cao Xing thought to himself: "Last time I came here, there weren't many undead in this passage, but this time there are so many."

"At this rate, I'm afraid it won't be long before more undead rush out of the passage."

"By then, I'm afraid my territory will be the first to be affected."

This also showed that his action this time was very timely.

Meanwhile.

Assam and Braum were confronting the undead inside.

These undead all possessed an extremely strong desire to attack.

Cao Xing frowned slightly, because his initial plan was to negotiate with these undead first, and fight only if negotiation failed.

As it turned out, these undead had no intelligence at all and could not communicate.

Now, he could only hope that there were undead capable of communication inside the ancient battlefield.

If not, then the situation would become somewhat complicated.

He exhaled gently and then said: "Let's do it, clear the passage first."

Hearing the order, all ranged units launched their attacks.

"Whoosh! Whoosh, whoosh!"

"Clatter~ Clatter!"

The Archer Legion shot out arrows carrying an aura of nightmares!

Among them were also a large number of magic attacks like ground spikes and wind blades.

Damage numbers exceeding ten thousand popped up over the heads of the numerous undead!

With these melee units all imbued with holy water, the battle was basically a clean sweep.

The undead in the passage fell in swathes, unable to stop their advance at all.

In less than three minutes, all the undead in this passage were cleared out.

The group quickly passed through this four-to-five-hundred-meter-long passage.

At the end, a green light appeared.

Cao Xing knew that this was emitted by the massive amount of undead inside.

So he reminded them: "We are about to enter, be prepared."

Hearing this, everyone became vigilant.

Duke Baradin behind him also summoned a large number of Ascalon Undead to enter the passage.

Then, they passed directly through the passage, and the scene before them suddenly opened up.

The first thing that caught their eyes was an extremely vast space, with an ancient city in front.

This city had become a ruin due to the baptism of war and time.

However, wandering above this ruin-filled city was a nearly massive army of undead!

They were dense, looking endless!

The undead aura on their bodies illuminated the entire underground space.

Overhead, there were also flying undead giant eagles, griffins, and undead dragons…

"Clatter~!"

The sky-covering undead army was like a green ocean, surging like a tide with their every movement.

Although it wasn't the first time seeing it.

But seeing it again, he still couldn't help but feel shocked!

Because the number of undead inside was truly astonishing!

Last time he came, after Cao Xing sensed the undead aura inside, he didn't hesitate to take his people and run.

This time, he didn't need to run.

He took a brief look.

The number of undead in here was at least fifty or sixty thousand.

However, this was only the situation on the periphery; deep inside that ruined city, there were even more, and even more powerful, undead hidden!

Even Duke Baradin, who had come to this City of the Undead for the first time, couldn't help but be shocked.

"It's unimaginable that there is such a huge City of the Undead near Lord Cao Xing's territory."

"No wonder you want to deal with them. If one day, so many undead break free at the same time, the consequences would be unimaginable!"

Cao Xing nodded, then asked: "Your Grace, do you know the origin of this group of undead?"

Now that the group of undead hadn't noticed them yet, they could chat a bit.

Upon hearing this, a look of contemplation appeared in Duke Baradin's eyes.

"This group of undead looks much older than us…"

Cao Xing replied: "Yes, this group of undead are existences that died about ten thousand years ago."

Hearing this time, Duke Baradin felt some confusion in his black pupils.

"Ten thousand years ago… this point in time is a bit too distant."

"Currently, the earliest recorded history of human civilization is only about ten thousand years old."

"And according to the information I have seen in some ancient books, ten thousand years ago, humans were still living a tribal life…"

And this also raised more doubts for Duke Baradin.

After all, the magnificent Giant City before him didn't look like a tribe at all.

Having the ability to build a city meant they were a powerful civilization!

Duke Baradin wondered: "Could it be that history was recorded incorrectly?"

"There was already human civilization ten thousand years ago?"

At this moment, not only Duke Baradin, but also Cao Xing, who was on the side, had a thoughtful look in his eyes.

It seems that the identity of this group of undead is truly mysterious.

The history of human civilization is only about ten thousand years.

And they had built such a magnificent Giant City ten thousand years ago.

And who killed them?

Why did they guard this city after death?

A bunch of questions popped up.

Cao Xing took a deep breath.

No matter what it is, today he will unveil the mysterious veil of this city!

Meanwhile.

As Cao Xing's warriors swarmed into this ancient city.

The undead ocean in front seemed to have noticed them too.

Immediately, the pale green undead flames on their bodies surged by a large margin!

A series of harsh sounds came.

"There is the scent of the living!"

"There are damned guys invading our city again, crush them!"

"Clatter!"

As soon as he spoke, a massive amount of undead surged towards them.

Cao Xing frowned slightly.

Clearly, the situation before them indicated that this group of undead could not communicate.

And Cao Xing's idea of negotiating with these undead was directly dashed.

"I thought we could have a good discussion, but it seems that won't work."

So Cao Xing looked at the Duke next to him and asked.

"Your Grace, do you have any way to deal with this situation?"

Duke Baradin shook his head, "No, this group of undead has completely lost their consciousness, just like a group of wild beasts that only know how to attack."

"If you want them to cooperate and voluntarily convert into our Ascalon Undead, I'm afraid it's an impossible task."

Cao Xing frowned slightly.

If they couldn't be converted.

That means… they would have to kill all the undead in this underground palace!

This made Cao Xing feel a bit tricky.

As seen before, the gains from killing these undead were really not high.

And just at this moment, Duke Baradin changed the subject.

"However… this time I brought the Kingdom's Holy Crown…"

Cao Xing was stunned, "Is it that crown from last time? What is its use?"

A creepy smile appeared on Duke Baradin's dead face.

"After wearing this crown, I possess a higher authority."

"If… we can beat these undead into a weakened state, we will have a chance."

Cao Xing's eyes lit up immediately!

"You mean, they can be forcibly converted into Ascalon Undead?"

"Yes, these undead originally had little consciousness left. After receiving a large number of attacks, the undead fire in their bodies will become very weak."

"In this way, it gives me a chance to convert them!"

Hearing this, a smile appeared on Cao Xing's face.

"Then what the hell are we waiting for?"

He immediately ordered: "All Ascalon Warriors, Wild Boar Warriors, go!"

"Try not to kill them, beat them into a weakened state and hand them over to Duke Baradin for conversion!"

"Understood! Lord Territory Owner!"

Receiving the order, these more than a thousand Tier 5 warriors rushed up with astonishing momentum!

And at the very front, Yaskin and Rabb and others held their weapons high and shouted.

"Everyone! The time has come to test our combat power!"

"We must not let the Lord down, we are the most powerful warriors!"

"Kill!!!"

All the warriors let out an earth-shattering war cry, and then fiercely rushed forward.

These more than a thousand warriors charged simultaneously, and the momentum they erupted was completely not inferior to the tens of thousands of undead on the opposite side!

In the blink of an eye, the distance between the two sides closed rapidly.

Cao Xing and Baradin watched the scene before them from the rear.

The next moment, the two armies had made direct contact.

The tens of thousands of undead army waved the ghost war blades in their hands and slashed down fiercely!

"Clatter!"

These thousand-plus warriors were like a lone boat on the ocean, facing surging waves, almost instantly about to be submerged by this horde of undead!

If it had been a month ago, Cao Xing's soldiers would have been completely unable to block the attack of so many undead.

However, times have changed!

Faced with the charge of the massive sea of undead, these thousand-plus combatants not only did not retreat a single step, but instead began to counterattack in an orderly fashion!

"For the glory of our Lord!"

"Crush them!"

The warriors waved their battle blades one after another, attacking frantically!

"Ch-ch-ch!"

"Squelch!"

As the sound of blades constantly slicing through appeared.

The formation of the first wave of the incoming undead army was instantly cut open, and their HP began to drop drastically!

Moreover, because of the power of the holy water, every strike corroded these undead, causing them to constantly scream!

"Ah!!"

"Pain… so painful…"

"These damn guys, their weapons possess a power that targets us!"

The HP of the undead army dropped rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

These warriors shouted loudly,

"Everyone! Attack!"

They actually withstood the attacks of tens of thousands of undead and charged straight in!

Like a school of fish swimming against the current, they forcefully broke through the formation of the undead legion!

A large number of undead were defeated by this invincible legion.

When the HP of a few of the undead dropped below 10%, the green flames on their bodies became flickering and unstable.

Duke Baradin said: "Lord Cao Xing, I am going over."

Cao Xing understood his meaning and immediately nodded: "Alright!"

After speaking, Duke Baradin rushed to the battlefield at top speed.

At the same time, as he lifted the crown in his hand, a vast kingly aura instantly spread out.

These dozen or so undead with low HP instantly felt themselves bound by a special power, which was also invading their consciousness and polluting their ghost fire!

As undead, a thought of fear actually arose in their hearts.

At this moment, Duke Baradin was still holding the crown, his expression unchanged.

He chanted some strange incantations.

"Homeless undead, the glory of the kingdom is willing to shine upon you…"

"Follow the King's will and become brave warriors…"

Following Duke Baradin's incantation, the ghastly green ghost fire on these undead was gradually dyed a ghostly blue.

A look of struggle appeared in their eyes.

"No…"

"We cannot betray our faith…"

"Lord Tirnis…"

However, their resistance had no effect.

Within a few short seconds, the ghastly green light all over their bodies completely changed color.

This also meant that they had completely become Ascalon undead.

Seeing this scene, a happy smile appeared on Cao Xing's face, and he couldn't help clapping and praising.

"Haha! Duke Baradin's move is really good!"

"He actually managed to forcibly convert them."

"However, this speed is still a bit slow."

Judging by the speed just now.

Duke Baradin can convert at most a dozen or so undead at a time.

And it takes three or four seconds.

How many undead are here?

More than a hundred thousand!

At this rate, he wouldn't be finished even by tomorrow.

Moreover, these undead are not stupid; they won't just stay in place and let Cao Xing and his team convert them.

It is also perfectly normal for the soldiers to accidentally finish off a batch of undead when they can't hold back.

Cao Xing's heart stirred.

"Forget it, I'll just see how it goes; I'll convert as many as I can."

"Even if it's only one-tenth, it's still a huge profit!"

Meanwhile, those soldiers were still engaged in fierce combat with these undead armies!

Sometimes the battle is too intense, and there are times when they can't hold back.

The HP of some low-health undead would hit zero, and then they would turn into a ball of ghastly green ghost fire and disappear from the world.

"Ah!"

"Great Lord… we can no longer protect your glory…"

One by one, the undead were slain, emitting inexplicable sounds from their mouths.

It was as if they had a moment of clarity before death, recovering a tiny bit of consciousness.

Of course, quite a few undead were also converted by Duke Baradin.

As time passed.

More undead rushed over from the ruined City of the Undead.

"Clatter!"

A strong aura of death rushed towards them.

At least another twenty thousand or more undead army surged out!

Seeing this scene.

Cao Xing waved his hand, "Ascalon undead, go and meet this horde of undead!"

The command of this battle fell to Cao Xing, so he naturally had the right to command all the undead.

After hearing this, the Ascalon undead immediately waved their battle blades without hesitation and charged out fiercely.

Even though most of them only had Tier 3 to Tier 5 combat power, compared to the undead on this ancient battlefield, they were far behind in both numbers and strength.

But they were still fearless!

Of course, Cao Xing would not let them face this wave of enemies alone, but sent the Dragon Blood Warrior legion and the Centaur legion to assist in the battle.

Shadows rushed high into the air, and then, like cannonballs, landed in the midst of the undead army!

"Boom! Rumble!"

The four Dragon Blood Warrior leaders successively used the terrifying skill [Dragon Blood Sky-Spin Pierce].

Bursts of intense explosions rang out, scattering the formation of the undead army!

More Dragon Blood Warriors used wide-range control skills like the Ice Dragon Spear Thrust.

These warriors were all Cao Xing's trump cards; fighting one against a hundred was just a daily routine for them.

At this moment, they charged into the undead army and started a massacre on the spot!

And the Ascalon undead legion and the Centaur legion behind them were not to be outdone!

They frantically waved the longswords in their hands, preventing the enemy from advancing further.

The blue sea of undead resisted the green undead flames; both sides were actually somewhat evenly matched!

"Kill!"

The Centaur Spear-Shield Knights charged all the way, overturning one Tier 6 undead after another on the spot!

The Centaur warriors followed closely behind.

"Boom! Rumbling!"

Hundreds of Centaurs, like a hot knife through butter, killed their way directly into the heart of this undead army.

Everyone's momentum condensed to the peak, and each of them seemed to carry an invincible confidence, sweeping through the battlefield!

Even in the midst of battle, that group of Ascalon undead couldn't help but cast their gaze towards Cao Xing's soldiers.

Emotions like sighing and envy welled up in their hearts.

In their view, this was a true legion; this was a truly invincible army!

Once upon a time, they too possessed this kind of momentum.

Under the glory of the kingdom, they were invincible.

Now that they had become undead, their strength had dropped significantly.

Among them, the undead lieutenant Karl Khan said.

"Everyone! We cannot lose face in front of our former comrades-in-arms!"

"Even if we have become undead, we must still show our spirit!"

Hearing this, a strong fighting spirit appeared in the eyes of all the undead on the field!

"We are the strongest warriors!!"

Tens of thousands of undead let out a heaven-shaking shout, and the undead fire on their bodies surged significantly.

Then, with the fiercest fighting stance, they frantically attacked the undead in this ancient battlefield.

With the cooperation of the Dragon Blood Warriors and the Centaurs.

Very quickly, this wave of nearly twenty thousand undead army was once again blocked!

Meanwhile, Duke Baradin was working almost at top speed!

Seeing where the undead fire on the undead had dimmed.

He would rush over rapidly and use the power of the crown to convert this group of undead.

In just a few minutes, he had already converted two or three hundred ancient undead.

Moreover, the combat power of these undead was quite formidable!

With a minimum level of 50, it was equivalent to suddenly gaining two or three hundred Tier 6 combatants.

However, these undead were currently in a weakened state, so even if the conversion was complete, they couldn't be immediately thrown into battle.

But as long as they recovered, the undead power possessed by Duke Baradin would surge significantly!

Even Cao Xing had a smile appear on the corner of his mouth.

"Very good, the number of undead that have come out so far is about sixty thousand."

"With the power of my legion and the power of the Ascalon undead army, we can pin them down here."

"In this way, we can slowly carry out the conversion."

Just as Cao Xing was thinking this.

The large-scale battle here immediately disturbed more powerful troop types in the City of the Undead!

"Roar—"

After a terrifying roar.

Another undead army of nearly twenty thousand rushed out from the City of the Undead!

And above their heads, there were a large number of flying units such as undead dragons and undead winged birds.

Like a ghastly green wave, it pressed down on them in an overwhelming manner.

Seeing this scene, Cao Xing was not surprised.

After all, he had already seen before that there were more and even more powerful undead in that ruined city.

He waved his hand and quickly gave the order.

"All Star Country Swordsmen, Earth Mages, this twenty-thousand-strong undead legion is handed over to you!"

"Silver Hand Knights, the undead units in the sky are handed over to you!"

"Let me see the results of your training with the griffins over these past few days!"

Hearing the last sentence.

A strong fighting spirit rose in the eyes of all the Silver Hand Knights.

"The Lord's glory shines upon us; the Silver Knights will be invincible!"

As they spoke, a hundred griffins soared into the sky!